The invention described herein relates to the field of remote game controllers for operating electronic games. More particularly, the invention relates to a radio frequency operated remote game controller for operating an electronic game device.
Electronic games use software and hardware devices to simulate game situations and experiences through visual and audio stimulus. Such games provide interactivity with a person through a controller which permits the person to change the game direction or response. Many games are fast moving and draw the user into fast moving responses which integrate the person into the game. Popular games require fast reflexive responses to the game situation and format, and require the transmission of large data sets. Any interruption of such game is disruptive to the person""s enjoyment and is highly undesirable.
Conventional game controllers are typically hard wired to the hardware or alternatively transmit data signals with infrared frequency transmission. Hardwired controllers are capable of reliable, fast signal communication, however such controllers require wires leading from the controller to the hardware. Such wires present a safety hazard because persons and pets can trip over the wires, and further limit the operating mobility of the user relative to a central controller.
Infrared frequency (xe2x80x9cIRxe2x80x9d) controllers are conventionally used in many remote control devices including controllers for televisions, stereos, and other remote controlled devices. IR controllers are undesirable because a moving person or pet can interrupt the communication link with the hardware at the most undesirable time during the game play, and because the IR controller must be pointed substantially at the hardware to maintain the communication link. Additionally, the number of channels open to IR controllers within a room is limited because the IR controller light sources illuminate the room with scattered light, thereby reducing the capability of the room to transmit any additional concurrent IR communications. Although IR light can be modulated, the number of effective communication lines operable within a single room is limited.
Certain multiple game devices have been proposed to permit simultaneous, multiple user operation of a game system, however such systems typically hardwire the controllers to the central control system and to other controllers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,255 to Barker (1992) disclosed a system for a remote controlled multiplayer video game. U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,125 to Hochstein et al. (1991) disclosed a video game communicator electrically connected with telephone lines, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,558 to Shimamoto et al. (1979) also disclosed a remote game apparatus using a telephone line as the communication means.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,740 to Green et al. (1985) disclosed a remote controller system for a video computer game which used radio frequency (xe2x80x9cRFxe2x80x9d) transmission as a communication mechanism and required a reset mechanism on a control center. Data was transmitted through different channels, significantly limiting the flexibility of a controller and limiting the number of users able to simultaneously operate the game system.
Another radio broadcast system was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,849 to Rutkowski (1998) wherein long range signal transmission was proposed. Such system also depended on multiple channel transmission and used a single receiver to poll individual channels. Such polling requirement significantly increases delay in signal processing and limits high data transmission required in remote game transmission.
Conventional game controller systems often provide multi-user capabilities and power efficiency based on frequency domain multiplexing (xe2x80x9cFDMxe2x80x9d). FDM uses multiple frequencies or channels to carry multiple signals through a common airspace, or one signal per channel. Systems incorporating FDM are undesirable because of additional cost and complexity, and because a larger transmission spectrum is required for the communication footprint. This requirement increases the possibility of signal interference from other signals, and with the possibility of controller interference with other products and appliances.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved game controller system which does not have the limitations of prior art controllers. The system should efficiently and accurately transmit large quantities of data and should provide flexibility to permit operation by multiple users.
The invention provides a system for communicating between a person and an electronic game device. The game controller comprises a housing, a sensor attached to the housing and responsive to operation by the person to generate signals, a radio frequency sender engaged with the sensor which is capable of time domain multiplexed transmission of the signals, and a radio frequency receiver engaged with the electronic game device for receiving the signals from the radio frequency sender.
In other embodiments, the invention provides a game controller system for communicating between at least two persons and an electronic game device which comprises a housing, a sensor engaged with the housing and responsive to operation by the persons to generate signals, a radio frequency sender engaged with the sensor for time domain multiplexed transmission of the signals, and a radio frequency receiver engaged with the electronic game device for receiving the signals from the radio frequency sender.
The method of the invention is practiced by operating a sensor engaged with a housing to generate signals in response to operation by the person, by detecting the signals with a radio frequency sender engaged with the sensor; by operating the radio frequency sender to transmit the signals with time domain multiplexing, and receiving the radio frequency sender signals with a radio frequency receiver engaged with the electronic game device.